River to River

Weekdays at 12 p.m. on IPR News and News/Studio One and 10 p.m. on IPR News

River to River is Iowa Public Radio's talk program focusing on the news, issues and events in our state. This national award-winning program goes beyond the headlines, frames community problems, and fosters conversation. On Mondays during the legislative session, join in conversations with lawmakers and those impacted by action at the Statehouse. Wednesdays, political analysts from around the state help you dissect the week in politics. Fridays we buzz through the week’s big news stories.

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Getting “primaried” has become a dreaded verb in politics. Host Ben Kieffer talks about intraparty rivalry and the partisan rancor in Washington with former U.S. Congressman Jim Leach. Also, analyst Jim McCormick of Iowa State University joins the conversation with a wide array of policy discussion and political philosophy.

On this edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer sits down with University of Iowa archeologist and religious scholar, Robert Cargill. They discuss Cargill’s trip to Israel with UI students for an excavation of Tel Azekah, as well as his latest project - a six-part documentary called “Bible Secrets Revealed.” It begins airing this week on the History Channel, starting Wednesday November 13 at 9 p.m.

In this segment of River to River, the CEO of Banker's Trust, Suku Radia, joins host Ben Kieffer to talk about lessons learned from the U.S. financial crisis and the federal deficit. They also discuss Radia's personal success, a kind of "rags to riches" story.

For Veterans Day, join host Ben Kieffer as he travels to Washington D.C. with more than 80 Iowa veterans. The Eastern Iowa Honor Flight sent veterans of World War Two and the Korean War to the nation's capital to visit memorials and to get a tour of the city. Hear ceremonies, sounds, and stories—emotional and lighthearted.

Story County's county attorney decided that the use of deadly force in this week's shooting of a chase suspect was justified. Nevertheless, the chase resulted in the death of a young man and raises many questions.

In the second half of today's River To River, we take a look at news literacy, especially for future generations. Iowa author and former reporter Colleen Branford Krantz joins us to discuss a new mobile app she designed to help schools and parents teach young students how to navigate the news, called News Tutor.

Marsha Ternus was the first woman to serve as chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, but she's perhaps best known as one of the Iowa Supreme Court justices dismissed by Iowa voters three years ago, for her role in the decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. Host Ben Keiffer sits down with Ternus to get her thoughts on that ruling, and on justice and judicial independence in the U.S.

In this off, off-year election local issues and races were the only things on ballots across Iowa. But, a few of those local races drew a lot of outside money and attention. Host Ben Kieffer talks with Chris Larimer, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Northern Iowa and Tim Hagle, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Iowa about whether outside interest groups influenced local races. We also look beyond Iowa’s borders at what gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey may tell us about the current state of our politics and parties.

More than half of the country’s teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber-bullying. Today on River To River, a discussion on bullying in Iowa. Host Ben Kieffer hears the story of a young Iowan who was bullied, who now uses that experience to help others going through the same. Jacob Stallman is a 17-year-old Tipton resident who was named the 2013 Spirit of Matthew Award winner by the Matthew Shepard Foundation for his community work to overcome bullying and homophobia.

Copper theft is quickly spreading throughout the state, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. Today on River To River, we take a look at the top Iowa news of the week. We look to Iowa City as the town debates the success of the 21-ordinance prior to the election. We also check in with the Iowa State Patrol to find out why they may switch from sedans to SUVs, and their new GPS projectile technology to assist in car chases.

On a cold February night in 1897, the general store in Walford, Iowa burned to the ground. The next morning townspeople found charred remains believed to be those of proprietor Frank Novak. That was, until a local laborer turned up missing. That discovery launched an investigation and cross-country manhunt. Host Ben Kieffer gets the gruesome story from author Peter Kaufman. It's the basis of his book Skull in the Ashes published by University of Iowa Press.

Not only are the days getting colder, but they are also getting darker. Today on River To River, host Ben Kieffer talks with sleep doctor, Dr. Eric Dyken, about the effect of darker nights on your sleeping habits. They also discuss the correlation between sleep and dementia, a new study that shows the brain clears our harmful toxins while you sleep, and how sleep plays a role in diabetes risk.

Dr. Dyken is the Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

On this News Buzz version of River to River, host Ben Kieffer cycles through stories about Iowa's relationship with China, an Arizona company's apparent phone scam targeting Iowans, an investigation into traffic stops, a harvest summary, the nutritional benefits of eating soup, and a new film about Iowa's 2012 caucuses.

We are living at a time when a simple Tweet or online posting can make you a celebrity overnight. Or, change your life for the worse, as when a University of Iowa teaching assistant accidentally emailed her students her own nude photos, instead of a classroom assignment.

This is also a time when private companies like Google and Facebook know more about a U.S. citizen than their own government. Today on River To River - a discussion of privacy-related news. We touch on everything from Google Glass to the international response to NSA surveillance methods.

Join host Ben Kieffer to examine the technical issues surrounding the rollout of the Affordable Care Act and answer questions about the law itself, including its requirements and the process of enrolling in the health insurance exchanges online.

Today on River To River, host Ben Kieffer checks in with an astronomer here in Iowa, who has found something new while observing a solar system about 3,000 light years from Earth… A discovery that gives us insight on how alien solar systems are structured.

And, we look into the discovery of a 1.8-million-year-old human skull in Europe that has ignited debate on the origins of distinct species of ancient human relatives.

The partial government shutdown the country just came out of is often compared to the face-off nearly 20 years ago between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich. This News Buzz edition of River to River looks at the aftermath of the latest clash, compares it to what happened in the 90’s, and examines how Iowa and national politics have changed since then.

We also hear about the World Food Prize ceremony this week and the protests associated with it. And, a unit with the Iowa National Guard had a homecoming this week. Plus, Willie the pig has been captured.

More than two weeks after the start of the government shutdown, a deal finally comes out of the Senate. Today on River To River, it's politics day. IPR reporter Dean Borg guests hosts, joined by political scientists: Drake University's Dennis Goldford and the University of Iowa's Tim Hagle. They discuss the negotiations taking place in Washington, public opinion of Congress, and take your questions and comments.

Join host Ben Kieffer for this discussion and examination of funeral trends and new rules related to funerals and services in Iowa. Hear from funeral directors about how their job is performed, and get a glimpse of how a person might go about skipping the funeral director to care for deceased loved-ones on their own.

NASA's Juno spacecraft passed within about 350 miles of Earth's surface this week, before slingshotting off into space on a historic exploration of Jupiter.

On this news buzz version of River to River, hear from a University of Iowa research engineer about Juno, and from the president of the University of Iowa Amateur Radio Club about why they waved to Juno electronically, as it whizzed by.

When Henrietta Lacks died in 1951, her family had no idea that her cells would live on indefinitely…multiplying to the extent that laid together, they could wrap around the Earth at least 3 times. Today on River To River - the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. Host Ben Kieffer talks with Lacks’ grandson about Henrietta's legacy. Her grandson, David Lacks Jr., will speak tonight in Iowa City as part of the Iowa City Book Festival.

Representative Steve King of Iowa’s 4th Congressional district has come to the fore in the current debate over the Affordable Care Act and the partial government shutdown. Host Ben Kieffer talks with University Professor of Political Science at Iowa State University, Steffen Schmidt, and the Joan and Abbott Lipsky Professor of Political Science at Coe College, Bruce Nesmith about Congressman King and how far he and other Republican representatives are willing to go in pursuit of the end of Obamacare.

In the wake of recent violence, including the recent Washington Navy Yard shooting, some look to gun control as a solution and some point to an increased focus on mental health care. Today host Ben Kieffer and guests examine the link (or lack thereof) between violence and mental illness, and they talk about the stigma surrounding the mentally ill.

In the second half of the program, they discuss the Iowa Mental Health and Disability Redesign signed into law back in 2011. And, they check in to see the impact of the transition so far and its effect looking towards the future.